Cliffe Park railway station

Cliffe Park
Site of the station in 1986
General information
LocationRudyard, Staffordshire, Staffordshire Moorlands
England
Coordinates53°08′44″N 2°05′24″W / 53.1456°N 2.0900°W / 53.1456; -2.0900
Grid referenceSJ940609
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyNorth Staffordshire Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
London Midland Region of British Railways
Key dates
1 May 1905 (1905-05-01)Opened as Rudyard Lake[1]
1 April 1926Name changed to Cliffe Park[1]
28 September 1936Renamed Cliffe Park Halt[1]
7 November 1960Closed[1]

Cliffe Park railway station was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) in 1905 on the Churnet Valley line to attract visitors to Rudyard Lake (actually a reservoir), which the NSR were trying to develop as a leisure and tourist attraction including a golf course.[2] The station was originally named Rudyard Lake and was at the northern end of the lake. There were no settlements nearby and consequently the station had no goods facilities. There was one siding but this was used more for stabling excursion trains rather than freight vehicles.[2]

In 1926 the London, Midland and Scottish Railway renamed the station Cliffe Park and at the same time Rudyard, the next station to the south, was renamed Rudyard Lake. Cliffe Park was the name of the hall that had previously been the clubhouse of the golf course and stood on the opposite side of the lake from the station.

The station remained open until passenger services were withdrawn from the northern end of the Churnet valley line (North Rode – Leek) in 1960.[3]

Route

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Rushton
Line and station closed
 		  North Staffordshire Railway
Churnet Valley Line 		  Rudyard
Line and station closed

References

Notes
  1. ^ a b c d Quick 2009, p. 128.
  2. ^ a b Jeuda 1999, pp. 58–59.
  3. ^ Christiansen & Miller 1971, p. 304.
Source
  • Christiansen, Rex; Miller, Robert William (1971). The North Staffordshire Railway. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5121-4.
  • Jeuda, Basil (1999). The Churnet Valley Railway. Lydney, Gloucestershire: Lightmoor Press. ISBN 978-1-899889-05-1.
  • Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.